Nine months later

Palidor felt herself only sluggishly come back to her senses. It was a very slow business. She felt as if she had been wandering in and out of dreams for an eternity. She felt feeling and reality came back to her only very slowly, and that for a lifetime she had been wandering somewhere between the dream world and the real one. But he was now coming too. She felt the wind of reality, the presence of cold breezes and warm heat. She felt the feeling of having something beneath her, and the dragging sluggishness of the first moves of the morning. Her memory was very fuzzy and fragmented. She wasn't sure how she had got there or when she fell asleep. She knew only that she felt her familiar soft nest underneath her, and enjoyed the feeling. The sun was coming in, and she could feel the warmth of it as well. At that, she slowly opened her eyes…

…And immediately looked surprised. Everyone was gathered around her. All of the adult espers were close in. The smaller espers were also gathered around…and there were two other smaller ones running around with them that looked horse-like. They seemed more curious. The younger espers seemed more fearful and anxious about her. The adults also looked anxious, especially Starlet…who to Palidor's surprise, looked like she had put on a lot of weight. She was blatantly fat now. What more, Odin was nearby as well, and his sword was drawn with a cold, hard look on his face.

"Uh…mom?" Palidor asked at last, darting her eyes around in puzzlement at this newest change. "What's…wrong with everyone? And…uh…what happened to your…I mean…er…"

However, the group all looked more concerned with her. A smile spread across Starlet's face, and tears began to run from her eyes. The others also looked somewhat relieved. Starlet looked the most happy of all, and the tears had to be of joy. "Palidor…you're awake…" She spoke breathlessly. "Thank God you're awake…"

"Are you alright?" Leviathan pressed, although also happy. "Do you feel fine? Are there any problems?"

Palidor regarded these reactions with puzzlement. "I feel fine." She simply answered. "Why shouldn't I?"

"Are you sure you feel alright, sweetie?" Starlet pressed more eagerly. She moved in and ran her hand against Palidor's feathers. It felt good…and strangely like it had been forever since she felt it…even though Starlet had changed so much. But after a few moments, she managed to reply.

"I'm…I'm fine mom. But you! What…are you feeling ok? Something happened to you…"

Starlet blushed a little in embarrassment. She ran her fingers through her hair nervously, and managed a small reply after a few seconds. "Well…uh… It actually looked a lot worse months ago, honey. I'm getting better…"

But Palidor caught this and blinked in surprise. "What? What do you mean 'months ago'?"

The other espers hesitated in response to that. All of them looked rather nervous to say anything in reply. There was nothing but silence and a few anxious looks to one another for a few moments. At last, Ifrit frowned in response, and spoke up.

"Oh come on! Someone tell her already she's been out for nine months!"

Leviathan rolled his eyes and groaned in response. Gilgamesh held his hand to his head and shook it. But Palidor reacted the most strongly of all.Her breath caught in her throat. Her skin beneath her feathers paled. Nine months? She had been asleep for nine months? She had thought she just dreamed of sleeping for an eternity…she didn't know that had been the truth! She gaped under the knowledge and bowed her head, wondering how such a thing could have happened. She didn't feel bad or too worried…but she was shocked and astonished. How much had she missed? What had changed? What occurred that made it take place?

The others let this knowledge sink in for a moment. Sooner or later she had to know the truth. But after a few moments more passed, Bahamut spoke at last. "What can you remember, Palidor? Before you fell asleep?"

The bird esper hesitated at that. She was still accepting the knowledge in the first place. But after a few moments more, she began to think again. Now that she was awake, memories came a bit easier to her. Traces of what had happened did come to her. She spoke at last. "I…I do remember something. We had just decided to go help Bahamut…but as I was running down, I suddenly heard something. It was a voice…it was calling my name. I followed it because I was curious, and it ran right down into the crystal room. When I got there, it wanted me to touch it. So I went over to touch it…and that's all I remember. That…and some dream about fire and ice and lightning…and…" Suddenly, Palidor froze. Her face turned confused. She seemed to shift a bit in her position.

"What is it?" Starlet asked.

"I feel something moving beneath me…" Palidor responded. Immediately, she shifted and moved off of the nest. On doing so, she turned and looked down again, and the other espers immediately came forward. Odin held Zantetsuken up higher. They looked down, and saw what was the source of the movement.

A large bird egg was sitting where Palidor had been, and now began to shift and quiver. It was hatching.

"An egg!" Leviathan exclaimed. "You…you don't suppose…that energy from…" He stopped at that, noticing that Palidor was shocked and confused that she had lain an egg. She had already been given one shock. He realized he didn't want to tell her who the father was. He swallowed, and continued. "That…that…person…was the father?"

"If it was…" Odin darkly responded. "The child won't see daylight long."

That new possibility ran through everyone's head. It especially was present in Bahamut. He had been considering that for a while. What would Griever do if it could only come back for a short period? Ensure its reproduction, that was what. It would ensure some part of it could come back. That made Bahamut nervous. Already, he could sense something within that egg that had just been laid that felt like Crusader. Indeed, the aura had left Palidor now. Now it was in the egg. However, he didn't notice any powerful evil coming from it, like it did with Griever… Still, they were all nervous. All except Palidor and Starlet. Palidor was the only one who didn't know the origin, and she marveled that at such a young age she was being a mother. What more, Starlet, her motherly instincts coming in already, marveled over the egg and began to feel her love for children raising inside her.

The egg rattled and shook for a few more moments. Then, abruptly, part of the eggshell cracked and swelled. The others gasped. Odin raised his sword higher. But it receeded again and only cracked much more slowly. The sides of the eggshell began to crack too, and it continued to bulge and constrict from the inside. Finally, a large part of the eggshell cracked off all together and spilled forward. On doing so, a small form was at last exposed.

The creature was strange-looking. On one hand, it bore little fleshy pre-wings like Palidor had. But the similarity ended there. The creature looked like a serpent, rather like Leviathan and Ogopogo. But its head was shorter, and it bore a larger crest on top of it. It seemed to be using this to break out of the egg. The scales were also more bright and colorful, rather like the feathers of Palidor. It slithered around inside its egg, and gave out small whining cries. For a moment, all stared at it. There didn't seem to be any reaction from anyone. But then, at last, a small voice did come out from their midst.

"…My first child…"

The others looked to who had spoken at that. It was Palidor. She was now looking down over the child, and the expression on her face showed that her previous hesitation had vanished. Now, she marveled at it. She bent down over the small creature and hovered her beak over his head. Instinctively, the small creature raised its head and began to touch its own tiny beak to hers. She smiled at it as it cried out to her, seeming to like her and be attracted to her. As Bahamut scanned the mind of the thing, he noticed that it was forming a great attraction to her. It was a strong affection between mother and child. Palidor likewise was growing happier.

"Look…he knows me already!" She marveled.

Ogopogo blinked in response. "Um…aren't you at all disturbed at the fact that you suddenly had a baby?"

"Well, he's mine no matter what I feel. I can't change the fact I have a baby by feeling weird about it." Palidor simply answered, then returned to admiring her new child. "Besides…he's so beautiful! And he's so smart!"

Starlet smiled in response to this. This reminded her of herself when she had been younger, and when she had her own first children. It filled her own heart full of merriment to see another with them.

"Don't grow too attached to it." Odin darkly answered. "It dies now."

On hearing this, all of the others immediately turned to Odin. His face was still cold, and his weapon was still raised. He looked intent on killing the child immediately. The others hesitated on seeing this. They didn't know how exactly to react. However, Palidor did react. She immediately looked up at Odin with terror, and flung herself over the new esper. "No!" She cried.

"The thing must die." Odin darkly answered.

"No!" Palidor cried. "You can't! I won't let you!"

Ogopogo swallowed, but spoke up in reply. "Uh…Palidor…I realize how you are reacting like this, but…the father…well…he's not a good person to…"

"I don't care!" Palidor shot back. "You're not hurting him! He's my baby!"

"Palidor…I don't know how best to explain this to you…" Leviathan pressed on, sounding very uneasy. "But…we have reason to believe the father of that child was someone…very evil. Whatever that voice was, we think it was the one who was the father. And because of that, this child may not be that good…"

"How can you say that?" Palidor responded. "Look at him! He's perfect! He's not anyone evil!"

Bahamut paused a moment, but then gave a shrug in reply. "You know, she's right actually. The baby doesn't have the same evil aura as…well, you know who does. The baby might be fine. There's no reason to believe that anyone's child is doomed to be the same as theirs."

"Do you really think that matters, Bahamut?" Odin answered. "You know full well who the father was. There's no denying it. You know what it could grow up to become, what power it will have among itself. That monster wouldn't have spawned itself just to wind up with an innocent child."

"I don't know what you all are talking about…" Palidor responded resolutely. "But I don't care. This child is innocent. I'm not going to let you kill him." She began to scoop the newborn up in her wings afterward, and bring him up to her breast. "And if you want to kill him, you'll have to kill me too."

"…And me."

The others looked up to this. As they did, they saw Starlet draw nearer to Palidor and stand over her. She too looked fixed and determined. Her eyes blazed with her mother's passion. Apparently, as Palidor has sat there swearing not to let her baby be destroyed, it had awakened her own maternal instincts anew. She knew that if it were her child, she too would not allow it to be killed. It wouldn't matter the circumstances. Even the Slyph, that she had lost so long ago, had not ceased to arouse her to fear and trembling at the thought of what had become of them. She still yearned for them as well and hoped that they would return, and had struggled to become thin again so she could search for them. But now, she realized how much her child loved this new arrival. And she was too happy to see Palidor awake again to defile her. Now, she hung down over the bird esper.

"I won't let you kill this child." She responded.

"You're being foolish." Odin sneered in response. "Don't be stupid. This thing can't live."

"Yes it can." Starlet responded. "You heard Bahamut. It doesn't have any evil in it."

"It could develop it."

"And if it doesn't, we'll kill an innocent life."

"That's a chance I'm willing to take."

"You're wasting your time arguing with me." Starlet shot back. The very fact that Odin wanted the child dead only made her more in favor of letting it live. She wouldn't bow to Odin's wishes again after what he had done with Gilgamesh. "And you're wasting your time arguing with her. Neither of us will let you do it."

Ogopogo and Leviathan continued to look uneasy. However, they were also somewhat divided on the issue. Perhaps the child would grow up alright. Perhaps he wouldn't. But none of them liked the idea of killing someone if it would mean destroying an innocent life. Seeing no help from them, Odin sneered and turned to Bahamut. "Surely, at least you have the sense to do the right thing. You know what this baby will become. You're our king. So make a kingly decision and command this child to be destroyed."

Everyone looked to Bahamut now. All of the pressure was flung on him. The group went silent. Ogopogo and Leviathan were anxious. Starlet, Palidor, and Odin all pleaded with him in their eyes in their own ways, all wanting him to make the decision they felt better. Bahamut grew nervous. He didn't like the responsibility being on him. He paused for a long while, thinking over what had happened. In truth, he wasn't wanting another Griever to show up. But on the same token, he didn't fear Griever anymore. He could destroy the like. And this child could be a different person.

"Actually…I'm willing to give him a chance." Bahamut replied at last with a shrug. "He might end up alright. And if anything happens later, then we can still stop him if we need to."

Starlet and Palidor alike brightened up at that. Palidor's eyes filled with happiness. Odin sneered, and with an angry grunt put his sword back down at his side and inserted it again into his sheath. The others looked somewhat relieved, if nothing else. Starlet and Palidor still had the most relief. Starlet turned to Palidor and reached out her hand to rub her head. "Thank you, Bahamut." She called out in response.

"If anyone dies, it's on your conscience." Odin sneered in response.

Palidor let her wings fold back a little, and looked down into her arms. She beamed at the small esper moving around in it. "You came out of three powers inside me." She told the little esper. "So I'll name you 'Tritoch'." Starlet responded by embracing her own offspring, and the three held for a short while. The others continued to shift uneasily, various thoughts and concerns running through their heads. No one said anything else for a little while. However, Leviathan at last managed a small smile himself, and moved forward to Starlet. He placed his own head on her shoulder, and looked down to Palidor and the new baby Tritoch as well. A few more moments went by during all this. Bahamut sighed and hoped he had made the right choice. But then, at last, Starlet spoke up.

"You know, Palidor…we felt you slowly waking up for a while." She informed her, growing a bit hopeful in voice. "And that's why we waited. But now that you're awake, we want to do something…and we hoped that you could be a part of it."

And Palidor was a part of it. She scattered the flowers down the aisle that Leviathan and Starlet walked down the next day.

Ever since the birth of Unicorn and Kirin, the two espers that Leviathan and Starlet had made that one night, they began to grow closer to each other. At first, Starlet was too stricken with grief over Palidor. She had wept day and night for months. That, combined with her loss of power, nearly killed the esper. But Leviathan had stayed at her side during all her grief. He dried her tears, comforted her, and made her eat to regain her strength. It took weeks for her to be consoleable, but when she finally was she remembered both her children and the esper that cared for her. As time wore on, she began to realize that she had love for Leviathan as well. Their love for each other continued to grow with time, and finally they began to show it. In the end, they had decided to make a large commitment to one another. They decided to be married, and from that day forward only have children with one another.

With Palidor awakened, it was now a grand business to make the wedding a beautiful one. The main grounds of Terratopolis had been being tended by Starlet and Leviathan for months. The children had decorated the walls with flowers and had strung ribbons, made out of the woven plants that they had experimented with before. There were many bright colors, but white was the most prevalent color. All of the espers had gathered together and formed two rows on either side. Once that was done, Leviathan and Starlet had walked down the aisle side-by-side. Leviathan was much of his old self. Starlet, on the other hand, had made herself a new splendid white dress with a long train, a flowered crown, and a veil over her face. Of course, it was for a larger size, as she was still fat. But she didn't care. She had found a person to love as well as Leviathan had. And so, both of them walked up the aisle, came before the assembly, and exchanged their vows. Everyone complemented them with clapping and joy afterward. After the months of anxious waiting and sorrow, always wondering if Palidor would awake and what would become of her afterward, their was rejoicing. All had ended well.

Gilgamesh, however, had hung on the end. He stayed behind the wedding train and waited anxiously for it to end. True, he was happy to see his mother happy. It filled him with joy to see her wed not only to a worthy person, but to his mentor and best friend. He was happy for Leviathan too. He had known for years that he had wanted to do this. Both Leviathan and Starlet would be happy and prosperous with each other for the rest of their lives. However, he never the less had to leave. He had plans of his own, and he didn't want to prolong them any longer. He had let Leviathan talk him into staying until the wedding. But now, he would wait no more. He would carry out the decision he made months ago, the moment he was disowned by his father.

Gilgamesh broke away the moment he could. After that, he quickly moved out beyond Terratopolis. He was strong enough to at this point, while most of his siblings were not. Once he had climbed up the mountainside and reached the top rim, he moved away from the side, sat, and waited for Leviathan and Ogopogo. Because of that, he had to wait for some time. He sat there alone and watched the day pass away. He realized he could have stayed longer at that. Leviathan, naturally, would be a while. He had just been married. However, he didn't want to hang with the others. He didn't want to make it harder on Starlet, and he didn't want to be around his father. He didn't want to talk his father again until he had proven himself, and that wasn't yet. And so he waited.

Hours went by. Day turned into evening. The sun slowly set and vanished below the horizon. Night descended on him. Still, Gilgamesh sat and waited. His hands were folded over himself, and his eyes were turned out to the horizon. He didn't look back. He paid no attention to the noise and cheering coming from below. He thought only of who was coming. Time continued to go by, but still he held and waited. The wind began to blow, and the air grew cold. But still he waited.

Then at last, he heard espers approaching. He looked up and turned behind him. When he did, he saw at last those he waited for. Ogopogo and Leviathan were slithering up over the rim of the mountain. A long case was with them, and they carried it along with both of their coils as they went up the cliff. They soon cleared the top, and made their way over to him. He stood and faced them both, and watched as both halted before him.

"Sorry it took me so long." Leviathan apologized. "But I was making rather merry…"

"It's fine, master." Gilgamesh dismissed with a nod. "It's your choice."

"You really want to do this?" Ogopogo asked uneasily. "You really want to leave? Why not stay here with the rest of us?"

Gilgamesh, however, had long since made his decision. He glared back darkly. "My father will never respect me here. I must go and make my own living and prove myself to him."

"But there areother ways." Ogopogo protested.

"Not for me." Gilgamesh simply responded. "I've been practicing that one technique you've been working on, Leviathan. I'll have it soon. When I do, I'll pass for any other human. But even before then, I might pass for one right now. I'm about the size. I do have four arms and white skin…but whatever. What I need is this. I need a weapon, and it has to be something that will make me excel above anything on this world. That's why I need this."

Ogopogo sighed.

"No changing your mind?" Leviathan asked.

"None."

Leviathan shrugged in reply. "Very well." With that, he began to pull the case forward. Ogopogo did as well, pushing it forward and putting it before the both of them. Once it was forward, Leviathan reached down and began to open the case up. As he did, he explained it.

"This, Gilgamesh, is the best weapon we've ever made. It took us a while to find the best place for it. But then, Ogopogo and I found the Da-Chao mountain range, mountains filled with lava and fire. Once there, we dug through mountains for months trying to find the best type of metal available. We finally found it, it was Adamant. It was already almost unbreakable when we found it. However, on heating it in Da-Chao, we purified it and made it truly indestructible. That was how we managed to forge this. After that, we fused our energy into it like you suggested. Now you have the ultimate weapon, far greater than any other we ever made."

Leviathan finished opening the case, and then lifted it up to Gilgamesh. The young esper's eyes went wide at the sight. Inside, he saw the gleaming blue steel within. It was beautiful, flashing with strength and glory in the dim light. He could feel the superior power within it. It wasn't like Ragnarok. It was curved and long, smooth and thin. It was sleek and perfect, a true work of art. He marveled over it, and then slowly reached down toward it. Slowly, he enclosed his hand around the handle, and brought out the long curved blade. He gazed at it in wonder, and turned it to show it off in the moonlight. It was indeed perfect.

"Behold…'Masamune', blade of the masters." Ogopogo announced proudly. "It is not only unbreakable, it has an atom edge and inner power within it. It's the greatest weapon of all time. I doubt even we could ever surpass it. This goes beyond all other weapons made yet. And I doubt anyone could ever find the Adamant to make a better one. Even if they did, it wouldn't have our powers with it."

"It's perfect." Gilgamesh answered, still marveling over the blade. After scanning it for a long while, he finally put it down and at his side. He turned and looked up to the both of them. "I'm very grateful to you."

Both Leviathan and Ogopogo gave a nod in reply. A brief pause followed afterward. But then, Gilgamesh sighted and pulled up his belt a bit. He readied himself to leave. He gave a nod to both of them in response, and turned to Leviathan. "Take care of mom. I know she won't understand." He told her. "And I hope you're happy together for a long time, master."

"Good luck, my pupil." Leviathan responded.

"Take care, Gilgamesh." Ogopogo added.

Gilgamesh lingered a bit longer. Now that the time had come, he was uneasy about actually leaving. He held and looked at the people who had given him such a great gift. He waited for a bit longer, taking one last long look at his friends. But then, at last, he only gave them a wave in response. After that, he turned and began to walk away down the mountain at long last. The two espers watched as he went down, moving fast as he tramped down the side of the mountain. They watched until his head at last vanished down under the mountainside. After that, he was gone, and heading away from them and into the world beyond. And whatever danger or trials he would face now would be his and his alone to face. Hopefully he was making the right choice.

At that, the two of them finally turned and looked back to their own home. Thinking of Gilgamesh, and praying for his safety, both of them walked back into the building once more, to rejoin the wedding festivities.

To be continued...